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Debt And Bill Consolidation And Its Two Faces
Debt or bill consolidation is one of the latest methods available by companies to take control of your debts. Debt or bill consolidation is also known nowadays as either debt settlement or debt negotiation. The process behind debt or bill...
Helping Credit Ridden Individuals Recover from Debt
Rick Miller: Helping Credit Ridden Individuals Recover from Debt
Millions of individuals all around the world are in over their
heads in debt. Debt can turn an individual or their family's
life upside down. Without the proper help from...
Paying Off Your Credit Cards: A Get Out of Debt Plan
Getting out of debt requires more than just simple willpower. Most people will need to go a step further: coming up with a plan to make sure that they will be able to permanently retire their debts.
First and foremost, you need to prioritize...
Reducing Credit Card Debt
Great as credit cards can be, one of the easiest "things" that can happen in life is the building up of a large credit card debt. For whatever reason, making purchases with credit cards always seems much easier than spending cash to obtain a...
Using 0% APR Credit Cards to Become Debt-Free
Normally, when you're looking to consolidate credit card debt
you have the following options: get a debt consolidation loan
-or- apply for a home equity loan. But if your credit card debt
is still manageable, you may want to consider...
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Debt consolidation – Options for Reducing Your Debt
Studies show that Americans are now saving less than ever before. Along with that, Americans are carrying a heavier debt load than ever. It’s easy for a home loan, a car loan and a few credit card bills to get out of hand, and many people are struggling with more debt than they can easily pay. To make matters worse, new bankruptcy legislation will make it harder than ever to file bankruptcy for those who simply cannot pay their bills.
There are a number of solutions available that allow most people to reduce their interest rate on their debt, reduce their total monthly payment, or both:
Ask for a lower rate on your credit card. If you have been making payments regularly, and you haven’t had a history of late payment, you may be able to lower your interest rate on your credit cards simply by calling your credit card company and asking them! It doesn’t always work, but the market for credit cards is pretty competitive these days, and many lenders would rather lower your interest rate than lose you as a customer. It’s worth asking.
Get a new credit card. If your lender isn’t willing to lower your rate, shop around for a credit card with a better interest rate. There is no reason to be paying 20% or more in credit card interest if you don’t have to. The interest on credit cards is not tax deductible, but if you can get a credit card with a lower interest rate and you move balances from other cards to that one, you can save quite a bit.
Take out a traditional bank loan with collateral. You can probably obtain a simple
installment loan from your bank by putting up cash or investments as collateral for the loan. Like credit cards, the interest isn’t tax deductible, but the interest rate may be better than credit cards, and if you consolidate several payments into one with a bank loan, you will lower your monthly payment.
Take out a home equity loan or home equity line of credit. If you have equity in your home, you can borrow up to 80% of your equity in either a lump sum or a revolving line of credit. Interest rates are still quite low on home loans, so this one could be a good way to consolidate your debt. As a bonus, the interest is tax deductible. A minor downside is the fact that these loans usually have application fees and/or closing costs.
Most people can utilize one of the ideas above to help them reduce their debt. If none of these options work for you, you should consider speaking to a credit counselor, who can outline other options that may work for you. Many credit-counseling agencies are non-profit, so it may be worth your while to talk to a credit counselor if nothing else will work.
About the Author
©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to debt consolidation and credit counseling, and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information regarding home equity loans.
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